<p>Get the full episode: https://www.10percenttrue.com/pricing-plans/list</p><p><br></p><p><strong>Pinbag Shaw | 10 Percent True | EP83 Part 1</strong></p><p>Thomas “Pinbag” Shaw flew the <strong>F-4E Phantom II</strong> at a pivotal moment in USAF history.</p><p>Commissioned during the draft era, he entered <strong>Tactical Air Command</strong> just as the Air Force was absorbing the hard lessons of Vietnam and rebuilding its fighter culture from the ground up.</p><p>In this first part of our conversation, Pinbag explains:</p><p>• Why the <strong>J79 smoked</strong> — and how crews worked around it</p><p>• What <strong>Red Baron reports</strong> actually taught young Phantom crews</p><p>• How <strong>Fighter Lead-In training at Holloman</strong> reshaped post-Vietnam tactics</p><p>• The reality of <strong>Sparrow employment</strong> before modern radar displays</p><p>• <strong>AIMVAL/ACEVAL</strong> and what it revealed about missile combat</p><p>• <strong>Combat Tree</strong>, radar geometry, and “hot” vs “cold” scope discipline</p><p>• <strong>Nuclear delivery training</strong> in the F-4E</p><p>• And how a loose <strong>ejection seat pin bag</strong> became a permanent callsign</p><p><br></p><p>We also explore the cultural side of <strong>1970s Tactical Air Command</strong> — from Aggressor briefings to the infamous <strong>“vulnerability period”</strong> at the O-Club — and how the Air Force transitioned from the Vietnam experience into the <strong>F-15/F-16 era</strong>.</p><p>This episode is a deep dive into <strong>Phantom air-to-air tactics, radar intercept mechanics, and fighter culture</strong> in the years between Vietnam and the Eagle.</p><p><strong>Part Two</strong> will take us operational — Korea, Germany, Victor Alert, and real-world air defence.</p><p>If you enjoy long-form, technical conversations with the people who flew the jets, <strong>subscribe and join the conversation.</strong></p><p><br></p><p>0:00 Intro teaser – O-Club tale</p><p>2:32 Welcome Pinbag and episode outline</p><p>4:25 Matthew’s subscriber question – smoky J79s</p><p>8:03 Visual acquisition ranges</p><p>8:45 Pinbag’s background and route to the Phantom (nav school and dreamsheets)</p><p>23:30 Dual controls question</p><p>26:28 Back to Holloman and dreamsheets</p><p>35:00 Off to Holloman AFB</p><p>38:32 Uniform standards – TAC style</p><p>40:45 Mandatory formation – O-Club</p><p>43:10 The “Green Door”</p><p>45:15 Leaving Holloman</p><p>46:17 Osan → Hahn → Nellis → Clark → Taegu → Lakenheath (after staff job)</p><p>49:25 Learning from Red Baron reports (classified material?)</p><p>51:25 TAC rules, callsigns, naming ceremonies, and the Doofer Book</p><p>53:20 “Opinions are like assholes…”</p><p>55:00 Fridays at the O-Club – bell rules and intro story</p><p>1:01:00 McDill for the F-4 RTU – O-Club and games</p><p>1:07:43 F-4 “of the day” – equipment fit, avionics, etc.</p><p>1:15:01 Combat Tree</p><p>1:21:20 Back to the RTU and a callsign story</p><p>1:26:02 Through the training phases</p><p>1:29:49 Back to day one</p><p>1:36:32 Why the air-to-air preference?</p><p>1:44:50 Navy terminology – tough for WSOs</p><p>1:48:28 Nuclear strike?</p><p>1:50:15 What was going on in TAC</p><p>1:58:04 Pave Spike</p><p>2:00:20 USAFE realignment, Ready Eagle, and DOC taskings</p><p>2:06:30 Sparrow developments</p>